Metatabsgi aicd azttebios foot-support



L. W. V.W1LMS. METMAHSAL AND Ammon FOOT SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED lAN.3i. \9l9 Bajmed A110. 19, 1919 NVNTOR.

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1tioned general character,

.To all whom t mag/concern Lne W. v. WILMS, 'or (intenso, iLLINoIs.

METTABSLAL AND EXTERIOR FDOT-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Ang'. 3.9, idw

Application filed January 31 1919. Serial No4 27fl57.

and "Mortons toel, as well as, for correct ing, relieving and preventing various other anatomical defects, unnatural .and objectional tendencies of the feet,and particularly those of the transverse and anterior arches of said members, and it consists in certain peculiarities oi' the construction, novel arrangement and operation of the ,various parts thereof, as Will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

One of the objects of the-'invention is, to provide a foot support oiE thel above, menwhich shall be simple and inexpensive in"A construction, strong, durable and eiiic'ient in operation, and made in different vsizes and Widths, in order to be adaptable for use in shoes of various sizes, andf-in suchmanner that in# serts or pads 'can be applied thereto or detached therefrom for the purpose of regulating the height or elevation posterior of the metatarsal heads to support and correct the fallen or weakened condition of the transverse metatarsal arch oft the foot. Another object is to furnish a foot support having means at or near the front end of its inner longitudinal border for treating and relieving the pain of, as Well as, correcting the malformation known as bunions or hallux valgus, by giving support to the weakened transverse anterior arch, (which is most al- Ways prevalent Where a weakened great toe articulation (bunion) o-r anialformation of the first metatarsal phalangial articulation), hallux valgus, manifests itself, and by crowding the misplaced metatarsal bone to its natural alinement, in parallel line with the other four metatarsal bones, taking tension and'strain ofi' the bunion articulation and thereby assisting nature to absorb thel enlarged condition and relieving all pressure caused by the shoe at this abnormality.'

Pad;

A further object is to provides, a-nngpcurtv for the relief of distorted metatarsal Jphalan-y gial articulation of the second, `third/imei. l

fourth toes, mainly the third and fourth, due-k'y to the wearing and mistting o shoes, generally too short, which have crowded the toes backwardly, thus causing the muscles of these toes to shorten, thereby drawing the v toes up and back forcingthe individual towalk and pound on the heads of these meta tarsals. The last above mentioned object is accompanied by balancing and giving su port the anterior metatarsal arch. there y assisting nature to correct this painful man lignanoy.

Still another object or the invention isto provide support to the foot' inv all Acases where the shank of the shoeis too short and has in its front portion a cavity or dish shaped depression at the tread or ball which allows thefoot to drop at the heads ot the metatarsals, thereby bringing on painful conditions and deformities, and also to furnish means for givin additional support and firmness at the pigantar surfaceA of *the transverse and metatarsal arches Where shoes are worn that are too Weak or low in the shank between the heel and Aball or tread..

in the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrateI an embodiment of the inventionW Figure 1 is an plan View of one form of the device; n

Fig. 2 is an outer edge View thereof;

Fig. .3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3, 3 of'Fig. l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; l

Fig. 4 is a similar view'showing the device supplied Witli an auxiliary or elevating Fig. lines 5, 5 of Figs..l"and 3 looking in the directions indicated by the arrows;y

Fig. ,6 is an enlarged fragmental plan view' of the front of the device showing Ia modiieation in its constructon;

5 is a cross sectional'viewr talten onl Fig. 7 is a detached perspective View of a pad used in the i*lateral pocket of said modified construction, and

Fig. 8 is a similar lview to that shown im Fig'. 6, Abut showing another modification in the arrangements of the foot supporting pads. l

Corresponding reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the different views of the drawing, in which will be Seen.

which it is to be worn to a point slightly` in advance of the metataisal heads of the foot and has its front portion tapered in a horizontal plane. This support is made up of an upper' sheet 1'0 or piece of leather or other material, having al smooth or polished/ upper surface and possessing considerable' rigidity and some resiliency, a lower piece or sheet 11 of soft leather or other material of about the same size as the upper one, and an intermediate piece 12 of flexiole material, which latter piece is somewhat narrower and shorter than the other pieces so as to be enveloped thereby when the same are secured together by means of stitches 13 located at their side and rear edges only.

- The piece 12 is reinforced by a resilient strip 14 of metal which is secured by means of rivets 15 at its ends to the piece 12 near f its ends, as is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.- of the drawing, in which views it will be 'seen and understood that the metal piece 14 lies mainly under the piece 12, `but has its front portion extended through a transverse slot 16 in the piece 12 and secured to the upper surfacethereof. Mounted on the upper surface of the front portion of the piece 12 is a pad 17 of any suitable material, which is tapered toward all of its edges and is held in place between the front portions of the pieces 10 and 12 by means of the side stitches 13 and by securing said por# tions together in any suitable manner. ,Vhen thus arranged it will be understood that the front end of the lower piece 11 and the front portion of said piece will be free from the piece 12 as far back as the transverse stitches 18, which unite the lower and intermediate pieces and that a pocket 19 or space will beprovided for the reception of a pad 20 of any desired material and suitably. fashioned used for regulating the ,elevation posterior of the metatarsal heads to support and correct the fallen or."v weakened condition of the transverse metatarsal arch of the foot.

In Fig. 8 of the drawing isshown aslight \modication inthe construction of/the support which consists Aot like parts arranged and combined in a similar manner to. those shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, and above descniled, except that the permanent pad 17- nounted on the lower surface of the front portion ofthe intermediate 'piece 12 and is confined between said piece an1 the lower piece 11, instead of being located between tlie intermediate piece and the upper piece as before explained. In this modified form the front edges ofthe pieces 11 and 12 are secured together in any suitable way, lbut the front en d of the upper piece is left free, to the end, that a pad 20 may be inserted into or removed from the pocket 21 or space between the front portions of the pieces 10 and 12, to be used for regulating the elevation posterior of the metatarsal heads as in the other construction and for a like purpose. l

In Figjy is shown another modified construction, whi-cll consists in providing the support, when constructed in either of the above described forms, with a pouch or Ypocket 22 of kid or soft material, which pouch is attached at one of its edges along. the inner longitudinal border of the support and extends rearwardly-from the front end thereof to a pointrearwardly of the first. metatarsal phalangial articulation, and is` adapted to be turned upwardly so las to be located alongside' of the foot. As shown, this pouch has its front end open and is tapered toward its rear end and is for the reception of a similarly tapered pad 23 of any desired cushioning material. The outer surface of this pad 1s preferably rounded and its inner surface fiat as shown.

' This addition (consisting of the pouch and the pad) to the support, if for the purpose of treating and relieving the pain of, as well as, correcting the malformation known as bunions or hallux valgus, and its employment is as follows: The insert orfpad is placed 1n the pouch with its fiat surface disposed toward the foot so that when the shoe is put on the pad will rest against andl give support to the lirst metatarsal bone andwill crowd the misplaced metatarsal bone to its natural alinement in parallel line with the other four metatarsal bones, thereby removlng tension and strain from the bunion articulation and thus assisting nature to absorb the enlarged condition and minimizing the pressure `caused by the shoe at this abnormality.

what I claim as new and deslre to 4secure by Letters Patent is A 1i A device of the character described, comprising a laminated insole having van inner layer provided at its front portion with a tapered enlargement on oneof its surfaces, and a resilient piece longitudinally mounted on said inner layer and secured thereto near each of the ends of said piece.

2. A device of the cfharzicter described,

comprising a laminated insole having an inner layer provided at. its front portion with an enlargementon one of its surfaces,

and' a resilient piece longitudinally mounted 115 Having thus fully describe'dmy invention on said inner layer and secured. thereto near each of the ends of said piece, said enlargement be1ng\ en\eloped by and confined between said inner layer and the outer layer adjacent, to said enlargement.

3. A device of the character described, consist-ing of an insole composed of three superimposed layers the outer-'ones of which being secured together at their side edges and rear ends-,stile intermediate or inner layer provided at its front portion on one of its surfaces with an enlargement and secured at its front end to the outer layer adjacent 'to the enlargement, the front end of the other outer layer being free.

MA device of the character described, consisting of an insole composed of three superimposed layers the outer ones of which being secured together at their side edges and rear ends, the intermediate or inner layer provided at its front portion on one of its surfaces with an enlargement and secured tions of the last at its front end to the outer layer adjacent to the enlargement, the front end ot the other outer layer being tree, and a pad removably located in the space between the t'ront porna-med outer vlayer and the inner layer. l

A device of the character described, comprising a laminated insoleA having an inner layer provided at its front portion on one of its surfaces jitlran enlargement andl secured at its front end to the\laye1\adjacen\t trfsaid enlargement but free at said end from the layer adjacent to its surface opposite the enlargement, a pouch ot' iexible material secured at one of its edges to the inner front margin of the insole, and a pad removably located in said pouch.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this29th day of Jany., 1919, at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.

LEE W. V. WILMs. 

